Man, I put all kinds of stuff on facebook trying to get people to think twice about getting behind stupid old Invisible Children. Doesn’t anyone listen?

From The Atlantic Wire:

We don’t yet know exactly what happened or what charges Invisible Children (creators of the viral and controversial “Stop Kony” video) co-founder Jason Russell might face, but the headlines produced by his Thursday night run-in with cops will not help the cause. The only details about the arrest that NBC San Diego has so far is that Russell “was allegedly found masturbating in public, vandalizing cars and possibly under the influence of something.” The story does not say if he is being charged for anything, but they do report that after receiving calls about “a man in various stages of undress running through traffic and screaming,” Russell was cooperative once cops arrived on the scene. They’re promising more updates.

For the record (regarding the below post about abortion), I missed the part of the Glenn Beck Newsletter about adoption. Apparently I had to scroll down. I was so caught up in the abortion link and reading that, I didn’t go back to the Glenn Beck page.

Here’s what the delBlazo said about adoption:

If anyone is encouraging you to surrender your baby to adoption, please contact us by phone or email us. Our volunteers have experienced adoption in their own lives, and they can tell you what it feels like to be adopted or surrender your own child. We’ll also help you find the support you need to keep your baby – the best thing for both of you!

Don’t let anyone tell you that adoption is the “right choice” or the “loving option” for your baby. YOU are the only mother or father your baby has, and no one will be able to take your place in his or her life. People who try to convince you to surrender your baby are probably in a position to get something out of the adoption for themselves – either money or your child himself.

Other people may tell you that you’ll be “giving a wonderful gift” to an infertile couple – this is NOT your responsibility. Your only job is to be the best mom or dad you can be for your baby. Your child isn’t going to want or accept any substitute for the real thing!

So obviously I need to re-think what I wrote.

But I can say, it was weird to hear Mitt Romney in a presidential debate bring up the “business of adoption.” I mentioned it in my review.

My parents tell me that they didn’t pay anything for my adoption. Which is great.

One thing is for sure, delBlazo uses incendiary language every chance she gets.

I can’t fault delBlazo for trying to help mothers make the decision to keep their babies if they can.

Gosh, I know my birth mother had a hell of a time making her decision to give me up. And there are times when it was tough growing up and not having a biological connection to my family.

But holy hell, in comparison to where I would be now if I weren’t adopted, there’s no contest. I certainly had more opportunities than I ever would have. My little biological brother went through the wringer with his mom and dad (my birth mom — not birth dad).

It all comes down to this … when there are decisions that are huge, there are ambiguous answers. It’s like having relationship issues. Everybody has relationship issues, but there isn’t a person in the world you’re going to get the same advice from.

There’s no way to predict the future. My situation could have been different.

While I don’t envy my little half-brother’s life, he turned out okay. He’s got a beautiful wife, and a child. He learned from his parents mistakes. He doesn’t drink or do drugs (that I know of). He’s a good kid.

Dealing with these things is hard. And people need all the information that they can find.

So I apologize for missing the part about adoption.

Shame on delBlazo for demonizing adoption. DelBlazo needs a bit of a tongue lashing and to revisit the language she uses.

We all do.

Shame on anyone to make any decision — where people’s emotions and feelings are well on the line — harder.

Long after blacks and Jews have made great strides, and even as homosexuals gain respect, acceptance and new rights, there is still a group that lots of Americans just don’t like much: atheists. Those who don’t believe in God are widely considered to be immoral, wicked and angry. They can’t join the Boy Scouts. Atheist soldiers are rated potentially deficient when they do not score as sufficiently “spiritual” in military psychological evaluations. Surveys find that most Americans refuse or are reluctant to marry or vote for nontheists; in other words, nonbelievers are one minority still commonly denied in practical terms the right to assume office despite the constitutional ban on religious tests.

Rarely denounced by the mainstream, this stunning anti-atheist discrimination is egged on by Christian conservatives who stridently — and uncivilly — declare that the lack of godly faith is detrimental to society, rendering nonbelievers intrinsically suspect and second-class citizens.

Is this knee-jerk dislike of atheists warranted? Not even close.

A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be. On basic questions of morality and human decency — issues such as governmental use of torture, the death penalty, punitive hitting of children, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, environmental degradation or human rights — the irreligious tend to be more ethical than their religious peers, particularly compared with those who describe themselves as very religious.

The other text reads, In no state can a minimum wage worker afford a two-bedroom unit at Fair Market Rent, working a standard 40-hour work week.

My first job was a busboy at an ice cream/sandwich shop in High Point, NC, called Mayberry’s. I worked there to make extra money to afford a bass guitar and buy a car. Most of the people I worked with worked there for their livelihood. Lots of people worked there and also worked either one or two other jobs.

I remember a black woman named Alice showed up after working another job, and was often going to a night shift some other place after she finished her shift. There were times when she came in, and I could see a can of beer in her purse. I’m sure it took a little somethin’ somethin’ to get through her day.

Alice had a couple kids and a couple grand kids. Her daughter and grandkids lived with her in a small home near Mayberry’s.

Tina’s mom also worked several jobs to support Tina and her brother. These weren’t high paying jobs, either. Knowing this about people informs my view that the discrepancy between haves and have nots is too vast, and we need a more even spread of wealth.

I begin to understand why people turn into government mooch hounds. I think if there were more reward for shit jobs, maybe then, just maybe, the reward would pay off.

These are the people who come to mind almost instantly when I hear conservatives talk about how people need to get a job and work hard, and then they’ll reap the benefit of the American dream.

Yesterday, I got an email from someone asking me to take a look at this article spotted in a Glenn Beck newsletter “The Blaze“. The person admitted that he knows I don’t like Glenn Beck, but to take a look anyway at the article about adoption.

That’s some brazen language. Imagine if you were a conservative and you saw that, you’d be enraged!

So I read what the newsletter wrote:

LifeNews has uncovered a real doozy when it comes to abortion rights activism. On a website titled “RH Reality Check” (with the “RH” standing for “Reproductive Health”), progressive writer Jessica delBalzo has a headline that is sure to bring precisely zero surprise to many pro-life activists, but may also scandalize moderate pro-choicers. The headline reads, “I Love Abortion: Implying Otherwise Accomplishes Nothing for Womens’ Rights.”

Whoa! Jessica delBalzo is a jerk! Right?

To the Blaze’s credit, it includes three paragraphs of the whole thing and links to the piece. You can read it here.

So I read delBalzo’s ovum-powered piece and ended up agreeing with the premise. The idea she conveyed to me was that she’s had enough of the pejorative language about abortion, and that she’s going to go so far as to say she loves abortion for the sheer fact that women who make that choice stop the feelings of guilt and shame that religious people attach to this procedure.

The other thing about the article is that there’s not one mention of adoption. Not one. She doesn’t make a case for or against it.

I wrote a long email back to the person who sent me this article, and I attempted as much as I could to avoid sounding like a Hitler piece of shit. I’m not going to bore you with the entire thing.

I’m not for abortion, but I’m for those rights.

Man, this topic is tough.

It’s REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, EXTREMELY tough.

Then I stubbed my toe on the response I was looking for

Can we agree that the majority of those who hate abortion are religious? Most of them qualify as evangelical Christians. These same people believe that their God is the all-powerful, creator of the Universe. This is just a portion of what I wrote in my email response:

[I]f God is in control — as you’re sure He is — than this issue isn’t up to you. Not me. It’s between a woman and God. No more. No less.

Just like everything that you consider a sin is between you and God.

For me, my sins are between the person, people, or whomever I’ve sinned against. And I do not tolerate people who shove my sins in my face, as I do a handy dandy job of raking myself and my sins through the coals on my own. You may empathize with that.

Life is too short for this shit.

I love you. I love that you’re passionate. And I hope that we can either agree to disagree on this one or maybe you’ll agree that it’s not up to us.

Should God be all powerful, I believe God has every right to shut abortion down — on his own — in his own way. Let Him be in command. Practice what you preach.

Humanity doesn’t have to take every issue they think their God wants — based on no biblical passage — and make it so.

Why does God need humans — with all their flaws and sinful ways — telling other people what is and what isn’t right. God should have every opportunity to make his point known, and yet he’s unusually quiet on this subject.

Lost faith and using the trump card

Delivering this email helped me remember why it is I lost faith. It also allowed me to use the faith-based trump card in reverse. How often have Christians shut down a conversation because they drop God into conversation to give them the upper hand?

The church taught me that God is ALL POWERFUL. He’s wonderful. He’s a counselor. He’s a mighty God. Perfect. Just.

I’ve written often that God’s book had every opportunity to cover the issues that are fought over today, slavery, abortion, homosexuality, marriage etc. And except for homosexuality, God didn’t practice any foresight when addressing those issues, which — we argue — renders the homosexual issue obsolete as well. God also had a brilliant opportunity to teach humanity about germs, instead of demons, but he didn’t. I call that a failure of following through on all the things church leadership taught me.

If God is truly all-powerful, religious intervention is superfluous. If God is so wonderful and just, let Him take control. Let Him show the way. If He hated abortion, let him shut it down.

In the meantime, dear Christian readers, add this to the list of hypocrisies that make Christianity appear unsavory, unwelcoming, and petty.

When will people recognize that the very argument against abortion is an even larger argument against the God people claim is so powerful?

If abortion is wrong, and it’s a sin, based on the idea that two people disobeyed God by eating the wrong fruit in a garden 6,000 to 10,000 years ago — and that the women who have one, or the doctors that perform them or the men who support women’s decisions and rights are so evil based on inherited sins (from fucking DISOBEDIENCE!!!) — then let God’s AWESOME, POWERFUL, WONDERFUL, PERFECT, SUPERNATURAL GREATNESS stand on its own.

You who are without sin, cast the first stone.

You who are without temptation and premeditated sins to come, throw all the rocks you want.

The rest of you should reach out, open an ear, and be the best damn wretched soul that you can be. Support a woman, and her choice. And if that means you compromise, chalk one up to all the other times you compromised. Ask for forgiveness, and move on.

We have better things to talk about than whether or not a woman, given the myriad of situations she might have, needs to think abortion is the most evil procedure in the known universe.

Maybe after reading that love-based book you claim is so great, go read the lyrics for Amazing Grace again before opening your mouth in opposition to this topic again.

Angela was leaving the playground in Port Charlotte with her two year old son, when something unimaginable happened. An unknown man attacked them at knifepoint.
When most people see a stray Pit Bull running around, they get nervous, and even scared. Although on this day, he was Angela’s guardian angel. A 65 pound male pit bull charged the man and drove him off.
“I don’t think the dog physically attacked the man, but he went at him and was showing signs of aggression, just baring his teeth and growling and barking. It was clear he was trying to defend this woman,” Animal Control Lt. Brian Jones told Pet Pulse.
The remarkable part of this story is this dog had never seen Angela before, and selflessly defended them. The dog probably saved their lives.